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My one-day hair makeover

The other morning, I gave my hair a makeover...My hair was looking terrible (Toby agreed:), and I wanted to do something for myself. Partly to combat winter blues, partly for a relaxing break, partly to look my best, partly just for fun, I gave myself a special treat and went to Drybar...Drybar is a salon just for blow outs. Have you heard of it? A stylist blow dries your hair so it looks gorgeous, for a price tag of about $35, depending on your city. The splurge isn't just about your hair (which can last for two days if you sleep very still), but also about the rad experience. First, when you arrive, the salon is really pretty, with cookies and flowers in the waiting area.The stylist washes your hair, gives you a 10-minute head massage if you'd like, and brings you a cup of tea or coffee. (I chose mint.)Then you get a book with five hairstyles to choose from, including sleek and straight, messy beachy waves and big beauty-queen hair. (It's fun to choose:) I picked their signature blow out, which is straight with a little body.While the stylist dries your hair--which takes about 30 minutes depending on the length--you get to watch a movie! The Holiday was playing when I was there, which was a funny one to watch. Kate Winslet is the best (and Jude Law is such a cad).The final result! I instantly looked polished, even in jeans and sneakers, and felt pretty for the rest of the day. :)

Drybar would be great before a hot date, party or wedding, or if you just need a little breather from work, babies, life:) I'm keeping it in mind for future birthday gifts (it would make a great bridesmaids or new mama gift!). I'd also love to take my sister when she next comes to town. Have you ever been? Would you want to? xoxo

I actually work at a salon and we have recently started doing more dry bar services. We offer packages that help save a little money too (5 for the price of 6 kinda deal). I love being able to help pamper someone, and sometimes all you need is a fresh style for the day to boost your spirits. I am so glad you got to experience it and tell everyone about it!xxxoSandra

I always said that this would be the one indulgence I'd have should I have money to throw around, get my hair washed and blow dried at a salon all the time. It's almost unfair how much it changes your mood, right :)

when I ear the word makeover I always think of something radical in the negative way, that's why I was so pleasantly surprised by your result. Not radical at all. It suits you perfectly! You look younger, lighter and happier

Yes! There is one around the corner from my house here in LA and I always go there when I have a wedding to attend or a special night out. It's so fun to get pampered and for a girl with a frizzy head of hair like me, it's heaven sent!

I've used Drybar in LA for a hair pick-me-up and polish before parties; it's so convenient and relaxing. The concept is so popular in LA that there have been tons of spin-offs throughout the city, so we have a lot to choose from which can be a plus because Drybar books up in an instant (although the ambiance isn't as swank and cheery as the original). Love your idea about getting new moms a gift certificate. I'm filing that away.

your hair looks wonderful!! I am getting married in Santa Barbara this summer and taking my bridesmaids to a similar place in Montecito called Shine...I hope they do as good of a job! P.S. if anyone has heard good/bad things let me know! I am from Chicago so taking a lot on faith for this place since I don't live in Santa Barbara!

Joanna you should buy yourself a Babyliss Big Hair Styler (if they're available in America). You use it on damp hair and it dries and rotates hair at the same time as a stylist would do. I’m not usually one for curling tongs, rollers etc. but this is really easy to use and gives you hair that looks like it’s been professionally blow dried. Has anyone else got one?

Sounds fun, although blow-drying doesn't work too well on curly hair. Maybe if the stylist has LOTS of experience with curly hair, but so far I haven't met too many who had figured out how to blow dry my hair properly. Maybe if I'm feeling in the mood for some poof? =P

This looks really cool.. but pretty unrealistic when you live in the boonies! I have a hard enough time getting to the salon every 3 months! Wish I could be one of those fabulous women that always looked "together" all the time. Working full time, taking care of 50 plus animals and commuting 2plus hours a day just doesn't leave time for this kind of thing on anything more than a completely blue moon basis! Living so far out also means that every trip for shopping..salon appointments means adding 2 hours to the trip! Oh well.. guess I can dream about doing it..lol

thanks for these sweet comments! fiona, that sounds AWESOME, i'm going to look it up right now. laura, you can make it last a week? i want your secret!! :) and saltgrain, that is awesome that you take care of 50 animals, going to check out your blog now. xoxo

We gave a DryBar gift certificate to a friend for her baby shower and she used it the early in the day she started laboring! It was a nice relaxing time for her and the staff was so lovely and funny they kept bringing her water and timing her contractions! It certainly made for a relaxed momma when she showed up at the hospital that evening to have her little!

beautiful! Sounds like the equivalent of getting a manicure only more essential in some ways... if this makes sense!? Like a mini spa day, looks lovely! And I can see your new iPhone is really coming in handy! ; )

Uhoh. I've always wanted to try that place and now that I see just how fantastical your results were I might just have to. And then I'll get addicted to it. And then I'll spend all my money on blowouts and I'll go broke and get kicked out of my apartment. I'll roam the streets and be known as the homeless lady with great hair.

Joanna, it probably helps that my hair is actually kind of coarse/wavy! Other than that, lots of Pssssst! dry shampoo when it feels a bit greasy. (Oh, and a blast of a cool blowdryer on the roots to revamp the volume.) :)

I am in love with the idea but went to the one in Newport Beach and was SO completely disappointed. They forgot the extra 10 min, which I wouldn't have wanted anyway because the woman literally CLAWED my scalp and then I just got a very expensive blow dry that didn't look anything special. It was just a little curlier than my usual hair and shinier. It may have just been the stylist because the concept is awesome but I am too traumatized now to go back and spend more money. oh well.

I love the idea of the cookies, tea and film, but I HATE having my hair dried in a salon. I always think I look too 'done'. I have long, thick blonde hair, and any overstyling makes me look like Barbie (without the boobs). I am a mess, and I like it that way.

Love this! I'm going to be in NYC in two weeks for a wedding, and even though I think I give myself a pretty good blow-out, this would be great fun and a wonderful way to make sure I look my wedding-best. Thanks for alerting me to this!

In the Bay Area (on the peninsula) there's Halo Blow Dry Bar, which is basically the same thing...just blowouts. Funny, but I just happened to mention to my sister-in-law last night that we should use up my Bloomspot offer from Halo some weekend when she and my bro are out here visiting, and get blowouts before dinner in San Francisco. :)

Oh, there's one in Dallas and there was a groupon for it recently. Darg! I think I might have to try it for a special occasion day; the cost seems similar to the cost of a "style" and I always want to wear my hair down anyway.

Dry Bar is EASILY the most affordable extravagance I spoil myself with as a 20-something young professional trying to make ends meet. There is a salon right down the street from my office in LA and I never feel guilty popping over there after work on a Friday night for a glass of champagne and a little pre-weekend pick me up. So excited they are expanding to NYC... My girlfriends in Boston are chomping at the bit!

Wow, how fun! Your hair looks really great, and makes you look kind of like Liv Tyler. The price seems a bit steep, but I'm guessing that's reasonable for NYC. In San Antonio, TX, where the cost of living is pretty low) a good haircut costs just $45 and includes a blowout and styling.

I love your blog and am a devoted reader. It really disappoints me, though, when your posts are really ads. Would there be a way to be more upfront about which commercial ventures are paying you to blog about them?

Gorgeous! (a blowout always makes me feel better)... I read once that Gwyneth Paltrow never feels sexy if her hair isn't blown out properly... Now if only I lived in a city that had one of these places!

a scalp massage, cookies, a movie and a new do...what could be better?! you look so pretty! i'm convinced i need to try this place out. we have one here in phx. when it opened i remember thinking it would make a great treat for someone special, a fun alternative to the nail salon.

I get dominican blow outs and it last about a month in summer and a few weeks more in the winter. i pay 13-15$ In NYC and 20-40 eleswhere. (im glad i family who own shops in nyc) lol love your hair! i will take my friend there.

That sounds like such a treat! As a new mama, I pretty much just wear my hair back in a ponytail unless the husband and I go out on a date. I'm heading to NY for a wedding this summer, I'm definitely considering making an appointment before the event.

what a fun experience! sounds like a real treat. i would love to spoil myself, but there is always a delay for things to get over here to israel. movies, trends, new ideas, etc... so for now a haircut and color will have to do :) but yous turned out great!

You and Toby are adorable together! Also, your hair looks really pretty! So, I just spent the last 30 minutes pouring over Drybar's website. What a fabulous and adorable idea! I do not put very much heat on my hair, so it's not very useful for me. Nevertheless, it sounds like a great experience! Thanks for sharing!

what a fab winter treat ! :) + your hair is beautiful! i wish i could do something like that everyday, especially in the winter when my hair feels dull + kind of staticky. have you ever had a clear gloss done to your hair? my friend just had one done + she said it made her feel like she had pantene hair (for two weeks!).

We have salons like that in Toronto and I swear by them for special events. The one I go to is called Blo. I think they've opened a few locations in the States recently. A little cheeky...their slogan is "blo me!"

Beautiful! There is a place similar in Montecito and I will have to go check it out! When I feel like my hair is falling flat and I am frustrated I put it up in a braided bun as seen here http://www.fablifeincalifornia.blogspot.com/ seriously so easy!

I went to Obadiah Blow Dry Bar in Bellevue, WA when I was up there, actually for my Mom's Memorial Service. I went the day before the service and it was a nice way to just stop and let someone else care for me in a very practical way during a tender time. It was really special to have someone do for me what I normally do for myself. The gal also used some great products, especially for the Northwest wet and my hair lasted for a couple of days. My daughter who's living in Italy told me she's gone to one in Florence. Who knew?!?

haha i liked your original hair! i'm a sucker for messy beach waves and you seem to have them natural (lucky!). if you feel like your hair needs a little volume, try the Oribe texturing spray. gives hair this messy perfect beach look and helps get rid of any oils.

Wow this is a cool idea! I've never even heard of this (small-town America here!!), but really love this idea! It would be great to do before going to a wedding or some other fancy event that you didn't want to do your own hair for. I'll have to investigate and see if any boutiques near me do this sort of thing.

Hi Jo,I've just read your post about getting your hair blow dried at Drybar. I know that it's a treat being pampered, but have you tried the Babyliss Big Hair dryer? It is unbelievably brilliant. My hair is similar in style to yours and was okay, but often just kind of 'hung' there, like old curtains. Now I bounce down the street like I've just stepped off the set of 'Desperate Housewives'.Another amazing product is Philip Kingsley's elastizer.Thanks for blogging, you're great fun to read.LoveTracey Bennett(Newcastle upon Tyne, England)

I love this! At first I thought places like these were pointless...until I got my first blowout for my birthday over the summer (gift from a friend) and I LOVED it! I'm actually going again this weekend to get my hair done in preparation to host my first dinner party! Exciting! - Elle from EnglishbELLE.blogspot.com

Sounds like the equivalent of getting a manicure only more essential in some ways... if this makes sense!? Like a mini spa day, looks lovely! And I can see your new iPhone is really coming in handy. iPhone post

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